Taiwan will invest $250 billion in U.S. chipmaking under new trade deal

January 15, 2026

The U.S. and Taiwan have reached a trade agreement to build chips and chip factories on American soil, the Department of Commerce announced on Thursday.

As part of the agreement, Taiwanese chip and technology companies will invest at least $250 billion in production capacity in the U.S., and the Taiwanese government will guarantee $250 billion in credit for these companies.

In exchange, the U.S. will limit reciprocal tariffs on Taiwan to 15%, down from 20%, and commit to zero reciprocal tariffs on generic pharmaceuticals, their ingredients, aircraft components, and some natural resources.

TSMC has bought land and could expand in Arizona, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC’s Brian Sullivan in an interview on Thursday.

“They just bought hundreds of acres adjacent to their property,” Lutnick said. “I’ll let them go through with their board and give them time.”

The announcement added that future tariffs under the Section 232 framework will have some exceptions for companies that are building chips in the U.S. Taiwanese companies building new U.S. chip fabs — such as TSMC

When the factories are completed, companies will be able to import 1.5 times their U.S. production capacity, Commerce said.

The agreement provides clarity to chip companies and technology firms that have grappled with uncertainty over the past year over the Trump administration’s approach to tariffs in the semiconductor industry.

It also incentivizes TSMC, the world’s leading fab company, to continue to build more factories on U.S. soil, while making it clear that it can continue to build chips for U.S. companies in Taiwan.

TSMC has already built fabs in Arizona, investing as much as $40 billion to produce chips for companies like AppleNvidia

The U.S. government has prioritized American production of leading-edge chips as the struggle for access to AI semiconductors has become a key geopolitical matter.

U.S. officials have also said that there is substantial risk to the U.S. economy if China invades Taiwan and reduces access to TSMC chips.

“We’re going to bring it all over so we become self-sufficient in the capacity of building semiconductors,” Lutnick said.

 

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